Transcript Gray Wolf

Large Mammal Unit
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The Wolf is Largest member
of the dog family
 They are socially active and
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intelligent animals.
Adult male wolves average
about 70-110 lbs.
Adult female wolves
average about 50-85 lbs.
They stand about 26 - 32
inches high at the shoulder
Measure 4 to 6 feet in
length from nose to tail tip.
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Legs and feet
 Their legs and feet are
longer than other
canines
 Can travel long distances
at high speeds
 Their feet are large and
blocky, enabling them to
walk on slippery ice and
on top of snow (like
snowshoes).
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Muzzle
 Has a long muzzle with
powerful jaws and long
sharp teeth
 Large canine teeth
 Well adapted for a
predator
 Strong enough to crush
bones
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Tail
 Tail is long and furry
 Serves as an
excellent insulator
when the wolf curls
up and tucks its
muzzle into the tail
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Physical Characteristics
 With its prominent facial markings, the wolf
resembles a German Shepard.
 Two Layers of fur
 Dense under fur
 Covered by coarse guard hairs enables the wolf to shed
moisture and adds warmth.
 Color phases range from white to gray to black, with
grizzle gray the most common.
 The wolf is often confused with its cousin the coyote.
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 Color phases range
from white to gray to
black, with grizzle
gray the most
common.
The wolf is often
confused with its
cousin the coyote
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Wolf Versus Coyote
 The wolf has a broader muzzle, shorter ears, and is 2 to
3 time larger.
 Wolves also generally lack the yellow and reddish
tones in their coats.
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Senses
 Smell – wolves are able to detect odors over a mile
away. Their sense of smell is 100 times greater than
humans. They rely heavily on their sense of smell for
survival. It helps them locate food.
 Hearing – wolves have an acute sense of hearing. They
are able to hear up to distances over four miles.
 Vision – a wolf’s vision is very sharp in detecting
movement. The wolf, however, relies a great deal more
on its hearing and smell for survival.
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Red Wolf
 Preferred habitat is
Mexico, Southern India
and Southeast and
Southwest United states
 Believed to be a hybrid
of a wolf and coyote
 Shorter reddish outer
coat and they live in
warmer climates than
the gray wolf
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Wolf versus Dog
 Wolf is considered to be
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the original dog
Many dog breeds resemble
the wolf
Dog-Wolf crosses are
called a demiwolf
Belong to the same family
“Canidae” as Jackal and fox
Same gestation length,
teeth structure and
vocalization
 Wolves have a scent gland
that dogs don’t
 Different gait
 Wolves breed once a year,
dogs twice
 Wolf skull is longer, wider
and flatter than a dog’s
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History
 In the late 19th and early 20th century wolves were
eliminated from the most accessible regions of the US.
 This included shooting, trapping, poisoning, and in
latter stages, aerial hunting.
 By 1918 the wolf had been eliminated from the
southern 2/3 of MN.
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History
 In 1849 a $3 bounty was placed on timber wolves.
 The bounty was removed in 1965.
 From 1969 to 1974 certified trappers were authorized to
take depredating wolves.
 Wolves became protected in most of the Superior
National Forest in 1970
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History
 The wolf remained unprotected outside the forest
until 1974.
 This is when federal protection was afforded under a
more stringent Endangered Species Act.
 In 1978 the wolf was reclassified to “threatened”.
 This allowed federal authorities to kill wolves when
livestock killings were verified.
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Distribution
 Wolves formerly occupied most of the northern
hemisphere.
 An estimated 25,000 wolves exist in Canada.
 5 to 10 thousand in Alaska.
 MN has the largest wolf population in the lower 48
states.
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Historic and Present Range of Canis Lupus
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Distribution
 During the last 15 years,
wolves have increased
and expanded their
range south and west.
 They are now found in
37,700 square miles.
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Wolves in Minnesota
 Estimated at fewer than 750 animals in the 1950s,
 Minnesota's wolf population is the largest population
in the lower 48 states.
 The 2012-13 estimate is 2,211 wolves in Minnesota
 Down from the 2007-08 estimate of 2,921
 Minnesota’s minimum mid-winter goal is at least 1,600
wolves.
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Endangered Species removal
 Minnesota's wolves transitioned from federal
protection under the Endangered Species Act to
state management by the Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources on Jan. 27, 2012.
 Listed as a threatened species
 Dan Stark MN DNR Wolf Specialist on Minnesota's Wolf Population
 Wolf Discussions from the MN DNR
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The 2012 Minnesota Legislature passed a bill providing for
the first-ever wolf season.
 A statewide winter population of 1,600 wolves is the
minimum goal. If Minnesota's wolf population falls below
this minimum, DNR will take immediate and appropriate
management actions to reverse the decline and restore
the population to its minimum.
 The target harvest was 400 wolves. 413 wolves were
harvested.
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What is the value of the wolf
 Effects of predation – there
are many benefits of
predation on the ecosystem.
 Aesthetic value and
economic value – many
communities benefit from
tourism. They also value the
wildness of having wilderness
in their backyard.
 Scientific research - the
study of the ecology of wolf
communities and principles
of predator prey relationships
have benefited sociology, and
behavior sciences.
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Natural History
 About 90% of MN’s wolves live in social groups called
packs.
 Packs generally have five to eight members.
 A male, female, and their pups, plus sub-adult offspring.
 The pack is a highly ordered social system based on
dominance. Leader is called thee Alpha male and his
mate is the Alpha female.
 An individuals ranking within the pack is determined
by pecking order.
 Lowest ranking is the outcast
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Natural History
 A wolf pack typically defends
a well defined area.
 Territories are usually 30 to
120 square miles.
 Unless prey is scarce, a pack
will avoid crossing into a
neighboring territory.
 Howling advertises territorial
claims and also functions to
assemble the pack.
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How do wolves communicate audibly?
 Howling
 Communal – life is good
 Inter pack – avoidance mechanism
 Intra pack – location query
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Identify individual wolves
Limit the audible range of the howling
 Woofs, barks, growls – Heightened chance of aggression
 Squeaks, moans,
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Wolves communicate through
posture and movement
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Visual communication
 Messages are conveyed
through facial expression
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Tail Posture
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Marking the territory
 Scent Glands
 Urine Marking
 Raised leg urination Dominant males
 Flexed leg urination
Dominant females
 Squat urination Submissive females
 Other means
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Defecation
Scraping with paws
Scent rolling
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Wolves are Territorial & Nomadic
 Buffer zones between
packs
 Wolves eliminate
mesopredators such as
coyotes, raccoons and fox
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What are wolf packs?
 Breeding pair
 The rest of the pack
 Physically grown siblings not yet of breeding age
 Pups of the year usually born in late April and early May
 Dispersers and floaters
 Den is rendezvous point
 Wolf numbers seldom achieve a density of more than 1
per 7 to 10 square miles.
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Natural History
 Mating occurs in February.
 First stage is called courtship behavior
 Starvation conditions will halt gestation
 Pup mortality can be as high as 50 % or more.
 Unlike domestic dogs, the wolf can only mate once a
year.
 This is usually done by the dominant pair in the pack.
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Natural History
 Birthing process is called
whelping
 Four to seven young are
born 60 - 63 days later.
 This is done in a excavated
burrow, hollow log, or rock
crevice.
 After weaning the pups are
moved to an area above
ground, usually near water.
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Regurgitation
 One aspect of parental
care by wolves (Canis
lupus) is regurgitation or
disgorging food to family
members. After feeding,
wolves regurgitate to
their pups or to the
breeding female.
 Supplements food
carried in the mouth
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Natural History
 The care, feeding and education of the pups is shared
by all pack members.
 By October the pups are old enough to travel and hunt
with the adult.
 Wolves reach sexual maturity at about 22 months of
age.
 Wolves often disperse from the pack at this time.
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Wolves Summary
 Apex Predator
 Family oriented
 Self regulating population
based on number of prey
species and disease
 Lead a short and dangerous life
 Harmless to people
 Dangerous to other animals
including livestock and pets
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What animals do wolves prey on?
 Old, lame, infirm and young
 Hoofed mammals
 Deer and Elk
 Moose
 Livestock
 Smaller mammals
 Beaver
 Rabbits
 Rodents
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Food Habits
 The primary food of the timber wolf
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is the white-tailed deer.
Fawns and old animals comprise
the majority of wolf killed deer.
It is estimated that 1 wolf takes an
average of 20 deer/year including
newborn fawns.
Wolves supplement their diet with
beaver, snowshoe hare, and other
small animals.
A wolf can consume 20 pounds of
meat at a time and then go for long
periods without eating
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Food Habits
 Moose are an important source of food where deer are
scarce.
 Wolves have the ability to size up prey.
 This ability to assess the odds of successfully taking
prey saves the wolves time and energy and reduces the
risk of being injured.
 A healthy deer or moose will generally escape an attack
by outrunning the wolf.
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Management
 The maturation of northeastern forests has caused
deer populations in the area to decline because older
forests do not contain saplings.
 Since deer are a primary food source for wolves, the
population declines, increased wolf dispersal, and
range expansion.
 Range expansion into more settled areas increases the
potential for conflict with people.
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Management
 Livestock depredation by wolves affects only a small
number of MN livestock producers.
 About 40 farmers experience losses to wolves in the state
each year.
 In response about 80 wolves are killed each year by US
Department of Ag trappers.
 45,000 is paid by the MN Dept. of Ag to partially
compensate farmers for their losses.
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Major causes of wolf mortality
 Starvation
 Caught trespassing in other pack’s territory
 Territory invaded by other packs
 Killed by intended prey
 Disease
 By humans
 Trapping
 Hunting
 Poisoning
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Two stages of the wolf hunt
Stalking or
Encounter
Rush or Chase
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What is the “Dance of Death”?
 Predator sizes up large potential prey
 Is prey vulnerable, safe to test and attack
 Potential prey tries to discourage predator
 Wolves approach 20 moose for everyone they attack
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Moose tries to flee
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Moose Collapses
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Moose meets his end
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What happens when you remove
predators from an environment?
 Diseased herbivores are
not removed by predators
 Disease spread more
readily through animals
 Over browse target
vegetation
 Learn to browse invasive
species and end up
spreading
 Can lead to prey collapse as
herbivores numbers
decline due to food
shortage
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Death of a prey animal
 The carcass decomposes
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adding nutrients to the soil.
Lush green vegetation grows
from the nutrient rich soil.
The vegetation attracts small
rodents and.
The small animals draw fox
and other predators,
providing for their dietary
needs.
The remains of prey animals
also provide food for other
scavenger animals such as
:ravens, eagles, weasels , etc.
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 Starvation is the number
1 killer of wildlife
 Winter is starvation’s
most effective enabler
 Natural selection
determines who grows
up and breeds.
 Surface area to volume
ratio determines heat
retention in warmblooded animals
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